20-07-2025
Bersamin: No ICC warrant for Bato, but PH authorities will act if there is one
No warrant of arrest has been issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for Senator "Bato" dela Rosa in relation to the previous administration's war on drugs, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said Sunday.
However, should the ICC issue an arrest warrant for the senator through Interpol, Philippine authorities may arrest him, he said.
'Wala (There is none),' Bersamin told reporters who covered the departure of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. for the US at Villamor Air Base in Pasay City.
'If there should be a warrant, we'll probably do the same thing that we did in the case of the former president [Rodrigo Duterte], if the warrant is coursed through the Interpol because we continue to be a member of the Interpol," Bersamin said.
'We are not going to do things differently unless the Supreme Court in those pending cases makes a different announcement about how we should proceed,' he added.
This move, Bersamin said, is non-discriminatory since it is in accordance with the law.
'Nothing discriminatory that we will ever undertake. We're always clear about that, hindi kami (we're not) politically motivated. All those attributions to us were unfair,' Bersamin said.
GMA News Online contacted the office of dela Rosa to get his comment on the matter but has yet to receive a reply as of posting time.
The Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide, and Other Crimes Against Humanity stated that Philippine authorities may dispense with the investigation or prosecution if another court or international tribunal is already conducting the investigation.
'Instead, the authorities may surrender or extradite suspected or accused persons in the Philippines to the appropriate international court, if any, or to another State pursuant to the applicable extradition laws and treaties,' the measure read.
Dela Rosa, a staunch ally of the Duterte family, served as police chief during former president Rodrigo Duterte's administration.
Duterte was arrested in the Philippines by local authorities on March 11 based on a warrant issued by the ICC through Interpol.
He is currently detained in the Scheveningen Prison in The Hague for crimes against humanity charges in connection with the killings under his war on drugs when he was mayor of Davao City and when he was president of the Philippines.
In March, Dela Rosa was named among the co-perpetrators of Duterte in the war on drugs, as shown in the application of warrant of arrest posted on the ICC website.
He was identified as the architect of "Oplan Tokhang," which was first implemented in Davao City when he was then the local police chief.
According to police records, drug war deaths totaled about 6,000 Human rights groups however claimed that the death toll was 30,000, including vigilante killings. —KG, GMA Integrated News
